| Autism is considered to be the most serious | | | | Developmental Disabilities proposes the following |
| disorder among Autism Spectrum Disorders. | | | | autism symptoms in identifying the presence of |
| Autism is triggered by neurological dysfunctions, in | | | | the disorder:poor emphatic skills, inability of |
| some cases causing dramatic, irreversible damage | | | | understanding and coping with others' |
| in behaviors, social interactions, communication | | | | distress;inability of relating to other people, lack of |
| skills and even physical development. Although | | | | interest in other persons; it is a fact that autistic |
| people who suffer from autism don't always | | | | people have behaviors oriented towards the |
| seem to be different from normal people, the | | | | self;avoidance of social interactions, refusal of |
| presence of abnormalities is revealed by the way | | | | making eye contact, isolation from the external |
| they socially interact, communicate, and learn. | | | | world;difficulties in expressing feelings or |
| Autism symptoms can usually be spotted during | | | | understanding other people's emotions;poor |
| the first years of life. Despite the fact that | | | | responsiveness when called by their name, refusal |
| autistic people share common features of the | | | | of redirecting their attention towards people when |
| disorder, it is wrong to generalize the aspects of | | | | asked to;difficulties in expressing their needs and |
| autism. People with autism, just like normal people, | | | | desires;repeating ideas within a conversation, |
| develop unique, distinctive personalities and have | | | | incoherent speech;unusual reactions to external |
| different ways of understanding and relating to | | | | stimuli like sounds, tastes or smells;deterioration of |
| the world. Furthermore, people with autism | | | | the skills they once possessed. |
| sometimes have high, above average IQ's. | | | | Children with autism need special care and |
| Autistic people usually have good mathematical | | | | attention and appropriate treatment in order to |
| skills and good memory. | | | | minimize the harm caused by their disorder. It is |
| People with autism tend to experience emotional | | | | vital to pay attention to autism symptoms when |
| problems at different stages of their lives due to | | | | suspecting that a child may be suffering from the |
| their evasive, withdrawing behaviors and they | | | | disorder. Children with autism better deal with the |
| often become depressed. An obvious autism | | | | disorder if they have been diagnosed with autism |
| symptom is the predisposition towards | | | | at an early age. |
| stereotype, repetitive behaviors, and the | | | | Adults with autism are able to take care of |
| preference for activities that involve maintaining a | | | | themselves, especially if they suffer from milder |
| certain routine. People with autism strongly resist | | | | forms of the disorder. They can sometimes be |
| change and they are usually very tidy and | | | | successfully integrated in the society and some |
| organized. They categorize personal objects, | | | | autistic people can even handle a job. However, |
| maintaining everything in a very strict order. It is | | | | many people with autism have unpredictable |
| thought that autistic people refuse to engage in | | | | behaviors and need to be under the constant |
| spontaneous activities due to their poor | | | | care of their families. Autistic people that have |
| adaptability to new situations. | | | | more severe forms of the disorder are usually |
| The National Center on Birth Defects and | | | | institutionalized and kept under strict monitoring. |